To:G. V. PLEKHANOV

Published:First published in 1930 inLenin Miscellany XIII.

      Sent from London to Geneva.

      Printed from the original.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,[1977],

      Moscow,Volume 43,

      pages98b-99.Translated:Martin Parker and Bernard IsaacsTranscription\Markup:R. CymbalaPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive

      (2005).You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

Justreceived a letter from you and A. N. (how it came to be delivered
on a holiday I don’t understand!). Well, this looks like forced moves, as
chessplayers say. Under the circumstances Bonch of course should be won
over to our side, and in all likelihood, everybody will approve of your
step (going to Bonch-Bruyevich and “inviting” him to join the League).

Butthe question is what to do next. In my opinion, if your talks with
Bonch-Bruyevich will be (or were) successful, it is necessary first of all
(having assured him that you will sponsor his candidacy in the League and
are quite certain of success) to insist on aformal stepon his
part as well. In other words, he should officially and publicly announce
that there has been asplitinZhiznand thathewishes to go over toIskra.

Withoutsuch a step, I think, his candidacyshould notbeformallyput forward in the League, since Bonch-Bruyevich
officially has not yet leftZhiznand it would be ridiculous to
accept a person belonging to another organisation. Moreover, if
Bonch-Bruyevich is still onlywarringwith Posse, still only
“dividing up” things with him, defending our interests, there is
as yet no guarantee of a favourable outcome!!This should not be
forgotten. And if “Bonch is most determined to come over to us”, as
A. N. writes, insistence on your part will in no way be objectionable to
him, he will admit himself that so long as he has not officially leftZhiznand made a statement, we, theLeague, cannot vote
for him. If the split inZhiznhas beenfinallydecidedon and isabsolutelyinevitable, it is in Bonch’s own interests
and his duty to announce this publicly at theearliest date, if
only in a
				letter[1]toIskra. We would publish the letter at once in No. 30 and
thereby forestall our opponents and “bind Bonch” (and ourselves by
printing the
			       letter[2]).

In deed, this would be the best way, and the safest, for other wise we
might get into trouble....

Andso my opinion is this: I also consider “all kinds of overtures”
to Bonch (which A. N. writes about and which you are making) necessary, but
if he, Bonch, does not take the formal step, and until he takes it, we
should confine our selves to these overtures which do not officially commit
the League, and nothing more.

Asto what will happen later, no more hitches can be expected. When
Bonch-Bruyevich has leftZhiznand made a public statement, and
when his transport group has given its support to this statement, it can
easily obtain printed matter from our administration and begin transporting
it. If it becomes necessary to admit this group as well (as you, G. V.,
assume), we shall then find out all about it from Bonch and discuss whom to
accept and how.

[[BOX-ENDS:You, G. V., write that “we are awaiting instructions for the negotiations
with the transport group”. Let the group firstset forth its position
in detail, for who can tell what it represents?]]

Youhave not yet replied, G. V., about your feuilleton forIskra, or the article about Tarasov. Why?

Bestregards,Yours,Lenin

P.S.Please send or pass on this letter to A. N.

[1]Aletter to the effect that there has been a split inZhizn,for such-and-such reasons, that he and company areleavingit andwould liketo work forIskraandZaryainasmuch as they share or stand closest of all
to[[[ this footnote ends after "to" (why?) -RjC -2005.05.17 ]]]
—Lenin

[2]Theletter was not published in Iskra.—Ed.